Even though we're on our way to Hawaii (one day) and Costa Rica (three days), Japan felt like the last port for many of us. We began with two days in Kobe, where I did a Japanese homestay, along with 60 others on the ship. We each were assigned to a family, who met us at the port terminal when we arrived. I was expecting the formal bowing when we greeted each other, but when my host "mother" saw me, she ran over and hugged me like I really was her daughter. Her name was Hiroko Ohnishi, and her husband was also supposed to be there but was in the hospital for a minor procedure, so she was solo. Her English (some) was superior to my Japanese (none), and one of the first things I found out was that she was relieved I was older, since she was 68 and had worried about what to say to a 20-year-old college student.
We met up with two other Japanese mothers and their two SAS daughters, and all went to have lunch at a moving sushi restaurant. Apparently these exist in some parts of the country, but it's a great concept to have plates of food moving around that you just grab as it goes by. After that, Hiroko and I were dropped off, and I was given a tour of her lovely Japanese house. We then went on a walk around her neighborhood, which included a temple and some gardens, and I also visited her grocery store since I told her I like to cook. After some tea and cakes, Hiroko told me we were taking the bus to the community center and meeting the two SAS students and their mothers, as well as 8 Japanese families for a potluck and games (since there were children). At around 9, when I thought the night was over, we found out we were then going for karoke. This is widely popular in Japan and quite unlike American karoke....for starters, it doesn't happen in a bar in front of a big crowd, and you drink tea. We were assigned a room with leather couches and a tv, and ran into two other SAS students and their "brothers" so we all joined together---5 Americans and 10 Japanese. We took turns with Japanese and American music, and I did have a moment where I thought this must be a dream, as we were all singing "Close to You" by the Carpenters.
We left at midnight, and I was told before heading to my futon that I'd be going to one of the other SAS student's houses in the morning to be dressed in a kimono and participate in a tea ceremony. These same two students and me met again in the morning, and each spent 45 minutes getting layer upon layer of cloth wrapped around us like mummies, and were then told to kneel for the tea ceremony. That was easier said than done. Our mothers then made and served us each tea, and we in turn did the same for them. Dress-up time was over, and we were then taken to a noodle restaurant, where we again sat on the floor and slurped our noodles (slurping is essential and actually considered good manners). Finally, with just a few hours to spare before we had to be back on the ship, our mothers took us to the spa/hot springs. There were pictures, tears, and exchanges of emails before we said goodbye to probably the best experience I've had on the voyage.
We then sailed for a day before reaching Yokohama. Both Kobe and Yokohama are beautiful, clean cities, and the changing leaves in both places were the first indication of a season we had seen since leaving in August. And in Yokohama, there were Christmas decorations and music in the stores, so it started to feel like November (although it was 70). A group of us walked around the first day, going to several parks and Chinatown (the largest Chinatown in Japan), and having locals ask us where we were from, and then connecting a baseball team or player to that town. There were also a ton of dogs, all dressed in dog outfits, with they and their owners looking more stylish than all of us in our jeans and t-shirts.
On the last day, I went to Mt. Fuji, which was a 2 1/2 hour bus ride away. The weather was clear, so it was a gorgeous view from the bus. But when we got to the 5th station (a little more than half way up), it was freezing and windy, and you could just see the snow-capped top. I would have preferred to hike it, but that's only allowed every July and August.
So now we're heading east, with nothing but the Pacific Ocean for the next 8 days. The library's busy with students researching papers and finishing classes over the next week before exams begin. And then we'll be closing up shop and preparing for the next group of voyagers. I'll check in one more time before signing off........
Pictures: My host mother, Hiroko, and me; me in a kimono; Jennifer, Andrea, and me at our tea ceremony; students showing off the orgami Mt. Fuji's our guide had us make; view of Mt. Fuji from the bus.
